Internal Revenue (Dis)Service

The WasteWatcher

June 7, 2013 — CAGW Staff

The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) is under heavy scrutiny after a report by the Inspector General (IG) at the Treasury Department. Recent videos have surfaced showing IRS employees practicing the popular dance, “the cupid shuffle” and parodying Star Trek. Costing more than $50,000, these videos add visual representations of the service’s recent misuse of tax dollars.

The videos were created during one of the 225 conferences held by the IRS from 2010 to 2012. One conference in Anaheim in August 2010 cost more than $4 million. Over the course of three years, the IRS wasted approximately $49 million solely on conferences. Even the IRS’ own Chief Financial Officer Pamela LaRue admits these expenses “were not the best use of government resources”.

Of course, the IRS has been heavily criticized recently because of its frequent targeting of conservative groups as compared seeking tax exemption. The IRS was deliberately denying tax exemption to particular political ideologies at a higher rate than liberal nonprofits.

It goes without saying that the IRS should concern itself with more pressing issues such as the increase in tax fraud over recent years. Fraudulent tax returns have cost Americans billions while the IRS was wasting away theirs like it’s an allowance. It seems that there aren’t just singular problems within the IRS, but a combination of offenses spurred by a complete disregard toward taxpayers. After scandals, poor management of tax returns, and irresponsible supervision of the services overall, a complete overhaul is needed of the IRS.